Frequently the woods are pink,
Frequently are brown;
Frequently the hills undress
Behind my native town.
An extract from Frequently The Woods Are Pink, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, 1891
All human beings are in some way geographically bound, our lives playing out alongside the ebb and flow of the natural world. Communities have learnt over millennia to not only survive the ever-shifting seasons but also to thrive, weaving the unique features of each season into the fabric of our art and culture.
The following artworks demonstrate two circumstances that define our experiences of the natural world. The first, surviving, charts generations of artists’ fascination with the ways human beings have tried (and failed) to adapt to the changing seasons, and the methods that have allowed us to dance with the rhythms of nature, rather than be overcome by them.
The second, thriving, explores the works of art that have been inspired by the celebrations and achievements that exist in societies living in harmony with nature, but also the brutality that can come from the urge to thrive.
Dish with Three Friends of Winter
Anonymous
China, late 16th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Purchase, Sir Joseph Hotung Gift, 2005. Learn More.
This exquisite plate features a design of three plants – pine, bamboo and plum blossom – known as the ‘Three Friends of Winter’. The origin of the “Three Friends of Winter” can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, where they were used as a symbol of noble virtue and perseverance due to their resilience in winter. The human experience of the hardships of winter was projected onto the plants as a means of celebrating the triumphs of survival.
Winter wakeneth all my care,
now these leaves waxeth bare;
ofte I sike and mourne sare
when hit cometh in my thought
of this worldes joy, how hit goth all to nought.
An extract from Winter Wakeneth All My Care, Anonymous, 14th Century
Human societies have a long history of ingeniously adapting to our environments and learning to thrive in even the most challenging circumstances. Methods for regulating our temperatures in response to harsh climates, for sourcing enough food to feed our communities, and for continuing our daily activities in spite of the challenges the world throws at us, have prompted innovations in technology and equally creative responses in art.
Methods of adaptation differ dramatically depending on where in the world they first develop, just like the challenges that need to be overcome. And a person’s ability to adapt depends on a complex interplay of privilege and circumstance. An unending source of inspiration, the following artworks are creative responses to the pressures, and opportunities, posed by seasonal changes. Whilst some artists are driven by the heroic tasks undertaken to survive, others emphasise hardship, and the inequalities behind them.
Tent Lining Fragment
Anonymous
India, 18th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933. Learn More.
PROVOCATION: Do you or your family have any history of a nomadic lifestyle or culture? How has this shaped your relationship with the seasons and nature?
Whilst many communities have adapted to reside in their localities throughout the year, there remains a strong global tradition of migration, where nomadic peoples move depending on the seasons for food, work or trade. Since the Agrarian revolution of 12,000 years ago, nomadic communities have faced brutal discrimination and even ethnic cleansing. In spite of this, there remain thriving nomadic communities across the world, including the Maasi in Kenya and Tanzania, the Sami in Scandinavia, and Roma, Gypsy, and Traveller communities in the UK.
This piece of fabric would have hung in the doorway of a tent used by a Mughal community during their travels. Mughal peoples in the 18th century traditionally journeyed during campaigns or as part of a seasonal migration between capitals.
An Arctic Summer: Boring Through the Pack in Melville Bay
William Bradford (1823-1892)
American, 1871.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Erving and Joyce Wolf, in memory of Diane R. Wolf, 1982. Learn More.
Harsh weather is not always something to merely be ‘survived’ – it remains a condition that communities adapt to and thrive in. But the desire to seek out new challenges and ‘conquer’ the elements has also been a consistent part of humanity’s relationship with our environment. During the 19th century, the frenzied search for a Northwest Passage saw numerous explorers lose their lives. While they struggled in their new environments, Indigenous peoples have lived in the Arctic regions for millennia. The contributions made by Arctic Inuit and Inughuit peoples to exploring the Northwest Passage have largely been ignored in historical accounts, in favour of the bravery and heroism of white Europeans as they sought to conquer these ‘new’ lands.
Family Warming Their Hands By a Fire
Noël Hallé (1711–1781)
French, 18th century.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949. Learn More.
PROVOCATION: Have you ever experienced winter as a struggle? Does the current cost of living crisis influence what you think about this print?
In the run-up to the bloody revolutions of the long nineteenth century (1989-1914), the plight of the poor and vulnerable in French society was an increasingly contentious issue. In this print, a family desperately tries to warm themselves against a roaring fire. Halle was an establishment artist, best known for his paintings of the elite in French society, but he depicts them in a sympathetic light. We are reminded that people’s ability to adapt to the cycle of the seasons partly depends on their resources and privilege.
My eyes are caked with dust of oat-fields at harvest-time.
An extract from Harvest Song, Jean Toomer, 1923
I am a blind man who stares across the hills, seeking stack’d fields
of other harvesters.
In a significant moment in societal development, humans started actively growing and harvesting crops around 12,000 years ago – a process that allowed us to maintain a reliable food source that could be stored during periods of scarcity. The time of year when crops are ready to be harvested varies depending on the region and climate. But they are routinely marked with festivals where communities celebrate and give thanks for their bounty.
The Harvesters
Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525–1569)
Netherlandish, 1565
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rogers Fund, 1919. Learn More.
PROVOCATION: Have you ever celebrated the Harvest? Does this time of year have a special meaning for you?
In the Netherlands, crops are generally gathered in around July/August. Breugal’s harvest scene captures the beauty of this summer ritual whilst not completely avoiding the hard labour involved. Seen from a distance, the figures take turns to rest beneath the trees as the sun beats down. In a part of the world where the winter begins in October and brings with it a period of scarcity and hardship, their work will pay dividends later.
Diagonally twined carrying basket, Pomo
Native American, ca. 1900
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Charles and Valerie Diker, 2016. Learn More.
The tools used by harvesters can also be works of art in their own right, carefully crafted both for their utility and as forms of expression. This basket was woven by a highly skilled member of the Pomo community in Medocino, in what is now known as Northern California. It was likely produced for sale or as a private commission, but is representative of the kinds of objects the Pomo used during the sacred process of harvest around 1900.
The Plantation
Anonymous
American, ca. 1825
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1963. Learn More.
Whilst harvests are often moments of spiritual significance, it is important to recognise the labours involved in providing food for the community, often without fair compensation, if any. During the transatlantic slave trade, around 10 million Africans were kidnapped and forced to work on the plantations of the Americas and the Caribbean. In their cases, Harvests functioned only to enrich their captors. This painting is a conceptual illustration of what a plantation might have looked like. Slavery was not abolished in the USA until 1865, and even then continued to perpetuate inequalities still evident today.
Harvest Scenes, Tomb of Menna
Charles K. Wilkinson
Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom, ca. 1400–1352 B.C.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rogers Fund, 1930. Learn More.
While this scene may seem to depict a typical harvest, the ancient Egyptian harvest was uniquely adapted to the seasonal patterns of the Nile. Ancient Egyptians harvested their crops in midsummer, as opposed to around the time of the autumnal equinox, like many other cultures. This was due to the summer flooding of the Nile, a result of monsoons caused by the rising temperatures.
The Egyptian harvest serves as a perfect example of how communities have not only learned to survive the cycle of the seasons but have actively adapted their way of life to their unique situations.
Orchid Pavilion Gathering; Autumn Harvest Festival
Ike Taiga (1723–1776)
Japan, circa. 1763 CE.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Learn More.
This pair of screens depicts two Chinese celebrations: on the right, the Orchid Pavilion Gathering (a cultural and poetic event celebrated during the Jin Dynasty (266-420), and on the left, the Autumn Harvest Festival.
The Autumn Harvest Festival, also known as Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a Chinese celebration revolving around the belief that when the moon has reached its fullest, it is time to harvest crops.
Farmers’ Lives in the Twelve Months
Anonymous
Japan, late 17th–early 18th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Mrs. E. H. Harriman, 1929. Learn More.
Artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left
These paintings depict the process of rice cultivation and the activities of farmers through seasonal changes. The action progresses from ploughing to planting to harvesting, culminating on a snowy day in winter when the rice is baled and the warehouse is filled. These screens offer a rare glimpse into the lives of Chinese peasants during this period, and demonstrate how their daily activities were dictated by their material needs.
I enjoy
Strangely
The after-taste of a festival
An extract from Festival, Fuyuhiko Kitagawa, 1956
In the face of seasonal changes and extreme weather, human societies have been forced to adapt and develop means of survival. But the rituals and traditions involved have also come to take on a life of their own, as celebrations and festivals that serve the vital purpose of lifting the spirits in hard times.
In different regions, people commemorate unique festivals to celebrate seasonal moments such as the end of winter or harvest time. As a result of the development of science and technology, many communities are no longer as adversely affected by seasonal changes. But the festivals remain, and continue to bring joy to those who celebrate.
PROVOCATION: Do you celebrate a festival in winter? What does it mean to you? Do you think its meaning has changed since it first evolved?
Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake
After Wang Zhenpeng Chinese (ca. 1275-1330)
C. 14th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Purchase, Bequest of Dorothy Graham Bennett, 1966. Learn More.
PROVOCATION: Do you celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival? What does it mean to you?
The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese ceremony that takes place on 5th May of the lunar calendar every year. Celebrants enjoy many seasonal activities on this day, including wrapping zongzi (rice dumplings), racing dragon boats, and hanging mugwort in doorways. Spring is the season when life recovers, and the meaning of the festival has been gradually enriched by the characteristics of the season. Starting from just commemorating the ancestor Qu Yuan, the festival developed into an expression of people’s reverence for nature and their cherishing of life.
Preparing for Christmas (Plucking Turkeys)
Francis William Edmonds (1806–1863)
American, 1851
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bequest of Mrs. Screven Lorillard (Alice Whitney), from the collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, 2016. Learn More.
Although marked in different ways worldwide, prayer, celebration and feasting have been key components of Christmas rituals for centuries. As Christianity moved across Europe, Christian ideas merged with Pagan and Celtic festivities celebrating light in the harsh winter months to form the festival we might be familiar with in the UK today.
In this painting, three people gather around a turkey as it is plucked for the festivity. The meaning behind the presence of the young black person is debated by scholars. Painted in the run-up to the abolition of slavery in the USA, it is possible that Edmonds’ work reflects the racism of the period by suggesting that the black figure (who is not involved in the plucking) is less productive than their white counterparts.
“The Feast of Sada”, Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
(Author) Abu’l Qasim Firdausi (940-1020)
(Painter) Sultan Muhammad (1470-1555)
Iran, ca. 1525
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr., 1970. Learn More.
PROVOCATION: What elements are important in your own celebrations of seasonal changes?
This painting marks the celebration of Nauruz, a celebration of the transition from winter to spring rooted in the ancient Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism. The watercolour depicts the Feast of Sada, a celebration commemorating the discovery of fire. Fire has significant symbolic associations in Persian celebrations. In addition to the Feast of Sada, another celebration, Fire Wednesday (Chahar-shanba Suri), occurs on the Wednesday before Nauruz.
Setsubun Festival at Sensōji
Suzuki Kiitsu (1796–1858)
Japanese, 1857
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015. Learn More.
Since the 8th century, Setsubun, which marks the start of spring, has been an integral part of Japan’s spring festival Haru Matsuri. Beans were thrown out of homes by every aristocratic and samurai household during this period to symbolise the destruction of evil. Kiitsu uses ink and colour on paper to bring to life this scene of Japanese men participating in the Setsubun festival.
English Lady in Winter Costume (The Winter Habit of an English Gentlewoman)
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607–1677)
Bohemian, 1644
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Theodore De Witt, 1923. Learn More.
There is a long history of creative fashion designed with the purpose of protecting the body from the low temperatures of winter. The lady in this etching wears a heavy robe, a hood and mask to protect her face and head, a fur shawl, and a fur sleeve to prevent her hands from freezing. Her wealth is evident from the quality of the materials used, and the vast quantities of fur, a much sought-after commodity.
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Introduction
I
The Ages of Man
III
Today & Tomorrow
